General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker’s testimony to Congress will be crucial in shaping future US strategy in Iraq. As a new poll reveals, Petraeus will be delivering his report against considerable public scepticism: 53% expect the report to exaggerate the extent of progress in Iraq. Petraeus is also, as the Washington Post details, having to resist those in the Pentagon who want a rapid draw down of US forces to restore strategic flexibility against Iran.
There is, though, real progress in Iraq for Petraeus to report. Michael Gordon reports in the New York Times that civilian deaths have roughly halved since 2006, the number of car bombings in Baghdad has returned to 2005 levels and sectarian killings in the capital are way down–in August there were 321 compared to a high of 1,621 in December 2006.
None of this is to say that the situation in rosy in Iraq. There is still a phenomenal amount of work to be done, not least on the political front. But after years of following a failed strategy, it would be tragic to abandon one that show signs of succeeding after only a few months.
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